Haku and Zabuza
by Blazej1998
Summary: A short story based on what could have happened had things been different. Haku and Zabuza are on a mission. as usual. hunting down 'targets'. It has always been clear that Haku never wanted to kill. But what if he had done something about it? Rather than be Zabuza's tool. Enjoy :D


Haku escaped the horrific nightmare that was his slumber. Images still flashing before his eyes: seemingly real, yet delusional. Or are they? A question that poisoned his mind, slowly deteriorating the little sanity left inside him. The old nonchalant Haku ceased to exist a long time ago, leaving behind an empty shell on the verge of collapse.

Haku arose and gazed at his surroundings: A thin ray of light entered the room through gaps in between decrepit wooden planks that boarded all the bedroom windows. White paint peeled off the walls, small flakes descending onto the cold stone floor. Beside him lay the man that caused his troubles: Zabuza. Eyes closed in a peaceful trance. His murderous blade glinted in the dim light, never leaving its master's side.

Ever since Zabuza had taken Haku under his wing, the pair was forced to kill to make a living: Hired by the richest. Despite all of that, Zabuza was still the one Haku was closest to; the only parent figure in his life since his real parents died. In a way he was grateful for that, yet the fact that he turned Haku into a tool for his twisted ideals bothered Haku. Running away still never passed his mind. He felt safe around someone like Zabuza: the demon of the mist, regardless that he was being sought by the Akatsuki.

Zabuza's eyes opened. Emotionless black eyes gazed around the room. His gaze was neither warm nor cold. Their eyes never met, only a single sentence slithered through Zabuza's bandaged face:

"Pack our things; we're leaving in the next hour."

"Of course Zabuza, but wouldn't it be wiser to travel to the Land of Mist during the night. I expect that less Shinobi will be on patrol and the night would give us adequate cover," Haku replied.

"On the contrary, that's what they want us to do. It's what they're expecting of us. The one thing we must do is maintain the element of surprise and with your Hidden Mist ANBU mask you can easily scout the area, killing anyone who stands in our way. In many ways, you are much more dangerous than I. Your ice release kekkei genkai is a great asset. Now get ready, we're leaving soon," Zabuza said simply. Haku nodded, not allowing a single word pass his lips, knowing that disobeying his master was futile, stood up and left the room.

Getting ready to head out on another mission was never an odyssey. Neither of them had any personal belongings, even if they wanted. Their field of work allowed no room for sentiments, only solitude. Objects of sentimental value only meant that their pursuers had something to track them by. It's not something they needed.

Haku packed the necessities into their bags: a few kunai knives, a handful of senbon, as well as medicinal herbs and bandages in case someone was to be injured. And that's almost always bound to happen. Always.

Packing was always the shortest part of Haku's daily life, and within minutes, he was standing next to Zabuza once again.

"We're leaving. Let's go. Now," Zabuza commanded.

"But…," Haku began but was sharply interrupted by a forceful shove from Zabuza, pushing him into the doorway. They began their way into the deep forest, leaving no traces of their presence.

Darkness began to envelop the vast expanse of forest, veiling Haku and Zabuza in a dark shadow that slowly masked their features, making them fade in the darkness.

The night was eerily cold, and leaping through trees in utter silence unsettled Haku. Perhaps it was due to the fact that normally they would have at least three tracking squads chasing after them. Yet, none tonight. The uncertainty and suspense bothered him. Neither he nor Zabuza knew whether or not they were going to get attacked within the next few minutes. It was a constant tension upon his shoulders. Living a normal life was what he really wanted; not being a notorious rogue criminal from the infamous Hidden Mist. Yet, he could never leave Zabuza. He was the closest thing he had to a father. Zabuza came to a halt and Haku followed suit.

"We're setting up camp here. If all goes well we'll be in the Hidden Mist by tomorrow afternoon. We kill our target and leave," Zabuza stated bluntly and dumped his bag by the nearest tree, regardless of the rows of bugs climbing along the decomposing tree trunk.

"Can we not just decline the mission? Run away somewhere and start anew. Live a normal life and forget about our murderous past," Haku began, a hint of emotion entering his voice.

"Emotions are for the weak. True Shinobi have no feelings, they merely fulfil the tasks that they are given. Therefore you should not question what we do and neither should you care. This is our way of life and you've got to deal with it," Zabuza responded and descended onto his sleeping bag. Turning away from Haku he simply told him to get some sleep and be ready when morning comes.

Sleep had not come easily to Haku and ended up being on guard for the rest of the night. Sitting by a little fire he had made, gently illuminating the darkness. He decided that he was going to end the cycle of murder and theft. Attempt to change Zabuza's mind. But no, that would be impossible. Possibilities of success seemed minute. There seemed no solutions to the problem albeit one. Haku knew what had to be done.

The next morning, the pair continued their journey. This time however, they were much more cautious, allowing only the whoosh of wind behind them to break the silence. They would soon approach the borders of the Hidden Mist village. The likelihood of approaching guards on the way was incredibly high at this time of day. They could not risk getting spotted. What was Zabuza thinking? Could it be that he wants to engage with enemy shinobi purposefully?

Haku's presumptions have been proven correct by a series of echoing shouts that came from a few meters behind. He knew what this meant; Running would be the unnatural resolve for Zabuza.

"Haku, take care of them. And make it quick. We have no time to spare." Not uttering a single word, Haku stopped in his tracks and awaited the Hidden Mist guards, balancing effortlessly on the highest branch of a tree.

Three guards came into view. All wearing white masks with red patterns embedded on them. They were part of the ANBU: A division of exceptionally skilled ninja assigned to the most dangerous mission. Their gazes suddenly shifted to Haku. He was not worried in the slightest; his kekkei genkai caused the deaths of extremely skilled shinobi. Killing them would not be a hard nor strenuous task. Yet Haku had no reason to kill those people, he felt guilty for ending the lives of countless people. However, that was the key to his survival. Killing became his second nature, one he despised.

"Halt! By the order of the Mizukage, I command you to cease your flee and return to the village to face your punishment," the leader of the squad shouted; waving a kunai threateningly at the young teen standing above him. Haku did not reply. He simply wove a single sign with his hands and whispered:

"Secret jutsu: demonic ice mirrors." The three ANBU men were suddenly surrounded by a barrage of ice mirrors, their reflections clear before them. The teen that was standing atop a tree now descended and walked right into the ice mirror, blending with it; his silhouette clearly visible in the mirror, yet no body to create the reflection. Haku's hand ventured into his robe and produced a few senbon between his fingers. The ANBU members gazed around in confusion, slowly beginning to panic.

"Fire style: dragon flame bomb jutsu!" one of the guards yelled and expelled a series of fireballs from his mouth, all simply diffusing over the ice mirrors and doing no apparent damage. A senbon shimmered past his arm, ripping the fabric of his waistcoat and tearing at the flesh of his forearm. Blood spattered violently over the defenceless shinobi. The ANBU members attempted breaking the ice with an arsenal of intricate jutsu. Little success had diminished the morale of the team. They stood; Frozen, gazing at the boy walking from mirror to mirror with melancholy in his expression. He turned to face them. Eyes wandering: refusing to meet with those of the ANBU men.

"Please do not resent me. This is the fate of a ninja." With that sentence reverberating within the ice dome, series of senbon began flying towards the ANBU members from every direction, ripping at their flesh and causing blood to splatter endlessly.

Within a few minutes, the ice domes began to melt away, revealing the corpses of three unrecognisable humans, a large pool of blood beneath them. All traces of Haku had disappeared.

"I am back, Zabuza. The men have been taken care of. We should proceed if we want to complete our mission on time," Haku stated and the pair continued their journey through the Hidden Mist territory.

The plan had been simple: Get to the Hidden Mist, kill the target and disappear unseen. It all followed a vicious pattern which was established a long time ago. However, the unpredicted change of plan had a significant impact on what Haku had in mind. The journey was planned to take place during the night, yet Zabuza's ludicrous desire for conflict could have easily altered that. Or does he know? A flush of anxiety fills Haku and for the first time he's nervous of failing; not only himself but Zabuza too.

The sun began to set and shadows cast along the forest, leaving the path ahead a hazy and unclear route. It was time to set up camp and rest for the night. If everything went according to plan they would reach their target by the early morning.

The bright orange fire had started to dim and smoke rose gently from the now cremated branches. It was late and Zabuza was fast asleep in the sleeping bag next to Haku's; His sleep undisturbed. It perturbed Haku how he could sleep so peacefully after all the he went through, after all that he put others through, what he put Haku through.

Haku silently arose from his sleeping bag and once again ensured that Zabuza was asleep. Then he silently went deeper into the forest cruised through the forest in the pitch black darkness, hurrying past the trees to return before Zabuza wakes up.

Stopping at a large empty space a few kilometres ahead, Haku gazed around in search of the man he was supposed to meet. A crack of branches behind Haku indicated that he was here. Turning around, Haku saw a hooded figure emerging from the darkness, his face hidden beneath the cloak of the night. He moved with a certain grace, yet caution through the forest.

"So you're here. Honestly, I didn't expect you to turn up. I'm almost impressed, Haku. I see you're determined, or is it the reprisal you seek?" The hooded man began; a mocking tone masked his voice. For the first time he noticed the triple bladed scythe on the man's back.

"My interests are of none concern to you. We have a deal and I expect to go through with it. A pawn like you cannot ridicule me or question my motives. You were simply sent by your leader to confirm the plan." Haku couldn't keep the annoyance out of his voice. The situation is complicated enough as it is and it does not need any more exacerbation.

"Be that as it may, I have a lot more control of this situation than you may think. However, I'll let your smart mouth pass and everything will proceed as discussed. I expect to see you again by early morning tomorrow," finished the man and walked away back into the darkness.

Thankfully, Haku returned to the camp before Zabuza woke up. And when he did, he seemed to have no inquisitions or assumptions about Haku leaving camp during the night. It was time to leave camp and set off once again. This time however, Haku's stomach was filled with butterflies. Could it be excitement or terror? Regardless, without a word, they set off into the forest for the last time.

They halted by a large red bridge which resembled ancient Japanese architecture. It gave way between two large mountains, with a fast flowing river resting beneath.

"And you're telling me that this target of ours is hiding in the cave down there? The one with the massive red door?" Zabuza inquired, pointing at the extraordinarily large and conspicuous door beneath.

"It would appear so," Haku shrugged. Zabuza sighed loudly and began to walk down the side of the mountain, until he stopped before the entrance to the cave. Eyeing the door cautiously, he began devising strategies of how to break down the door. But Zabuza was never a man of strategy and soon gave up, summoning a violent water dragon to smash into the door. With a shattering of wood the door swung open: pitch black on the inside. They both entered.

"Slightly easier than I thought," Zabuza mutters and carries on making his way through the cave. Each passing moment seemed to take a life time.

"This cave has some sort of chakra draining ability, I can feel myself getting weaker and weaker," Haku stated. Zabuza only replied with a brief nod which was hardly visible in the dark.

The ability to use chakra had been completely restricted by the time they reached the depths of the cave. Suddenly, flashes of bright light encased the room. The room was lit by masses of old fashioned torches set around the circular room of the cave. Some sort of ritualistic statue positioned at the far end.

"What the hell is this Haku? Where are we? You said the target was in this cave…" Zabuza screams, his face beginning to redden with rage.

"That's what I was told Zabuza, I wouldn't lie to you," Haku replied, emotion breaking through his voice. Before Zabuza could respond, he was engulfed in a cascade of flying paper. It began to stick to him and restrict his body, muffling his screams as the paper began to cover his mouth. A desperate cry escaped his mouth.

Nine figures emerged, seemingly from nowhere, all wearing black robes with a red cloud insignia covering them. They began their way towards the ritual statue, completely disregarding Haku and moving forward with purpose. Leading the way was a young blue haired woman, who Haku recognised to be the sister of leader he consulted before. She controlled what was now a paper tomb with Zabuza in it, completely covering him, but his eyes. Haku couldn't help but run towards his old companion. He promised himself that he would put an end to his murderous life and this was his only chance.

Zabuza was placed before the statue and the Akatsuki members gathered around him, performing a series of hand signs. Their rings began to glow and Zabuza's soul was slowly extracted from his body. For the last few remaining seconds of his life, his gaze was fixed intently on Haku; cold, yet caring and still loving regardless of what he had done to Zabuza. A tear escaped his eye and instantly tears began streaming down Haku's face. How could he have done this? It was for the better. He's now in a better place where he will no longer have to kill.

"I'm sorry, Zabuza," Haku whispered. His voice choked. Slowly, he began to walk away. It was time to make a fresh start. No longer killing anyone, that chapter of Haku's life was now over. The pain of losing someone so close to his heart will wash away.

Months had passed since Zabuza's death and Haku was no longer an assassin. He began to attend a new ninja academy in the bordering village and became a fully fledged shinobi, ascending to a Jonin rank at an astoundingly fast pace. Yet, the emptiness of losing Zabuza remained. He would do everything to have Zabuza back in his life. But not for the murder or the money, but to have someone take care of him like his parents did. The last person to refer to was Kabuto. Only he could bring Zabuza back. And so another chapter in Haku's life begins.


End file.
